


Moments Like These

by Glitterb1234



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Compliant, Human, Multi, flashfic, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 09:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 11,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11332713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitterb1234/pseuds/Glitterb1234
Summary: A series of 25 unconnected flash fiction pieces based on photo prompts for The Twilight 25: Round 8 (2013). 300-500 words each, characters/pairings and genre in the notes for each chapter





	1. Hold

**Author's Note:**

> Bella/Edward, Edward's POV of Eclipse Ch. 27: Needs

She's still crying. It's been hours, and she shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

It cuts me to the core to see the tears running down her cheeks like the rain running down the window pane, and the worst of it is that I can't do anything about it. There are no words I can say, no melodies I can hum, no place I can take her or action I can take that will take the pain away and make her happy again.

Part of me wishes I could cry too. It seems it would be a good way to release all the pent up emotion I’ve been holding onto. I have no idea if that is what it is doing for Bella, but I know it often works for others.

So I let her cry. I hold her, let her tears soak my shirt, and give her the only thing I can – something to hold onto to stop her falling apart completely. It hurts to watch, but imagining what it might be like if I weren't here is much worse.

Alice called me as soon as Bella left our house, letting me know she was headed for La Push, but I don't think she really expected me to do anything about it, and of course I didn't. I trusted Bella to know what would be best for her. As much as I wanted to be there for her, I knew my presence would be the opposite of helpful, that this was something she had to do by herself. I may never know what they talked about, and I would never force her to relive something which is clearly so painful, but part of me will always wonder.

Once Alice saw her crying in her truck by the side of the road, I felt like I couldn't get to her fast enough. Even running full tilt, it took me longer than I wanted to find her, and pulling her into my arms felt like breathing again after being underwater too long. But the reunion was tainted by her tears, tears for another man, tears for the chattering of another love. In my heart of hearts, I can't deny that it hurt me to think of him being so important to her, but my jealousy seems unforgivably petty compared to the pain she clearly feels. I can't help feeling responsible, like I forced her to choose between us and now I have broken the hearts of both the woman that I love and a young man who I respect as I fighter if nothing else. She is mine, but it is a hollow sort of victory.

I know if I say these things to her, she will deny it, tell me it was all her fault, and nothing I say will be able to convince her otherwise.

So I just hold her while she cries the night away.


	2. Photos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Human AU

The photos lay scattered across the floor, piled up one on top of the other, layer after layer of memories captured on paper forever. Bella wondered again why her grandmother had never organised them; there were no photograph albums anywhere, only boxes of the things, all loose and mixed together. She'd wanted to help Gran make some sense out of it all for a long time, but life was busy and she hadn't gotten around to it.

Now she really wished she'd put some other things off and made an effort to talk to the old lady who was such a fixture in her early life. Now it was too late to change anything.

Which was how she found herself where she was, sitting on her living room floor, surrounded by the boxes of stuff that her grandmother had specifically said would go to her when she died, trying to sort the pictures into some kind of order based on memories of stories and a few dates scribbled hastily in now faded ink on the backs of pictures. Trying to do it alone was even more nightmarish, and it didn't help that all the copies of her grandmother's smiling face reminded her again and again that she was gone, making tears flood her eyes and causing her task to be that much more difficult.

When her boyfriend arrived home from work that afternoon, he found her sitting miserably in the middle of their living room, the floor around her so littered with pictures he couldn't see how he was going to get out. The tears were streaming down her face, her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked utterly defeated.

Without a word, Edward put down his bag and coat and picked his way across the floor until he could sit with her, pulling her onto his lap and taking her place so they didn't disturb the pictures.

They sat in silence for a while, him holding her, her holding him, until she finally raised her head from his shoulder and gave him a watery smile.

“Thank you.” she whispered, croaking a little.

“I love you.” was his reply, and he kissed her to show her just how much.

Together, they did eventually sort the photos out, Bella even found she was enjoying relating all the stories to Edward. What had made her cry when she was alone now made her laugh, and she was eternally grateful to have such a wonderful man to share her life with.

She would always miss Gran, but maybe, just maybe, she would survive.


	3. Yellow Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, High School AU  
> *Minor reference to rape/assault*

It was a road that went nowhere.

Literally nobody ever drove down that stretch of the 101 just North of Forks, Washington, and Bella liked it that way. It meant she could go there whenever she felt like getting away, and be sure of not being interrupted. The only thing that could be reached along this particular road was the head of a hiking trail, and it was so poorly maintained that it hardly existed anymore. Ironic, she thought, that no one used the trail because it was overgrown, but the lack of people walking back and forth caused the trail to get more overgrown, so they were even less inclined to use it... It went on and on. The futility and ridiculousness of humanity, summed up in a length of dirt track.

On days like today, when it all just got too much, she would drive her rusty red Chevy truck to the end of the road, park, and lie on her back right in the centre of the road, over the yellow lines supposed to divide one stream of traffic from the other. With her hands behind her head, and one foot flat so her knee bent up to the sky, Bella would stare at the clouds and try to find picture, or close her eyes and dream of better times.

When her parents didn't fight every day.

When her mother spent every night at home.

When her friend's self-absorption had been amusing rather than irritating.

When she was just a normal small town girl content in her normal small town world.

Before she'd discovered just how cruel the world could be.

She tried not to think of that dark night on a back street in Port Angeles, the fear from being separated from her friends, the four men shrouded in shadows who'd herded her in, the harsh words they'd spoken and the brutal things they'd done to her. The solid surface beneath her made it harder, but she refused to let herself fall into those memories.

When school was out, Bella spent most of the day lying in the road rather than face the claustrophobic atmosphere at home. She'd been there for a while when a rustling in the trees interrupted her silent musings. She lay perfectly still, waiting, listening.

“Oh! Hey there!”

The voice was almost obnoxiously chipper, very definitely male, and terrifyingly unfamiliar. She sat up with a jerk, ready to run, then froze as she took in the handsome boy with wild coppery hair who had just come off the trail. He was dressed for hiking, wearing a backpack and a good deal of mud. There was a leaf lodged in his hair, and Bella wanted to pluck it out.

He was smiling as if he found strange girls lying in deserted roads every day. “Are you okay?”

No one had asked her that in a while.

So she cried, and the stranger simply put his arms around her and held her tight.


	4. Band

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Musician/Fan AU

They looked so sad, sitting all lone on the stage like that. Instruments weren't supposed to just sit around, they were supposed to be played, to make music, to be loved and cherished by their owners.

That wasn't going to happen anymore though. We were over. The band was no more, our chances were destroyed, and the instruments were just the collateral damage from our fallout. Tomorrow the guys would come back for their guitars, and Alec would pick up his drum kit from my garage, and it would all be final.

I sat morosely on the bar stool, staring at the stage as the janitor swept the same patch in the corner of the room over and over, trying to get me to leave. I ignored him.

The heavy metal door of the club creaked open, and when I tore my eyes away from the rejected instruments I was startled to see shy little Bella Swan coming through it, biting her lip nervously the way she always seemed to when I was around.

“Hey Edward,” she said quietly, smiling at me shyly.

“Hi,” I replied, unable to keep from sounding depressed.

She sat beside me and gave me a sympathetic look. “I heard what happened.”

I cringed. “Already?”

She nodded. “Demitri put out an announcement on Facebook.”

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

Then jumped a little when Bella's soft little hand came to rest on my forearm.

“They're jerks,” she said bluntly. “You're better than them anyway. They were always making mistakes, and I overheard Felix say they were doing it on purpose to try and trip you up.”

I was outraged. “He said that? That little... Wait,” I eyed her speculatively. “You've heard us play?”

She blushed delicately, pushing her thick black glasses up her nose and nodding. “I never miss a show if I can help it. There's only two I haven't seen.”

I gaped at her. I never would have imagined she would like my music; it didn't strike me as her sort of thing. Then again, I didn't really know her; she'd only been in Forks for a year and we never spoke.

Bella smiled at me sweetly, and I wondered why I’d never seen how pretty she was before now.

“How about I take you out for some commiseration ice cream? My treat, of course.” she said, looking at me hopefully.

I slipped my hand into hers, grinning when she gasped.

“Let's go,” I said, and when we walked outside my head was high.


	5. Lift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emmett/Rosalie, Human AU

“Emmett McCarthy Cullen, put me down!”

“No can do, babe.”

“Emmett, so help me God, if you don't put me down right this minute...”

I shifted Rosalie more securely over my shoulder, cutting off whatever she was going to threaten me with this time. I’d heard it all over the years; death, castration, sex embargoes, breakups. If nothing else, Rosalie Hale was creative when it came to punishment. She never actually went through with any of them though. She loved me too much for that.

“I hate you.” she spat angrily, and I felt her cross her arms in frustration.

“No you don't.”

“I do. I'm going to poison your dinner tonight.”

I just smiled. She got like this every now and then. She'd always been a bit unpredictable – it was part of what attracted me to her, actually – and you never knew from one hour to the next what sort of mood she'd be in. Only three things were almost guaranteed to piss her off: her boss, her ex, and me.

I didn't exactly _try_ to make her angry, even if it was pretty funny. I just did stupid stuff sometimes, without thinking, and she reacted badly.

Like now, I just wanted to get back to my house faster because Mom was making my favourite chilli. She was going too slow, so I picked her up, and she didn't like being thrown around like a sack of potatoes.

“You're such a cave man.” Rosie grumbled sullenly. “Next thing you know you'll be bonking me over the head with a stone club and dragging me round by my hair.”

“I bet it would turn you on if I did,” I teased, and was rewarded with a grumpy huff.

My brother Edward and my best friend Jasper broke out laughing when they saw me coming. Their girlfriends, my sister Alice and her best friend Bella, tried to look disapproving but couldn't help smiling. My mom just shook her head at me.

“Jasper!” Rose yelled at her brother. “Stop laughing like an idiot and help me!”

“Alright, alright,” I sighed, putting her gently on her feet. “Better?”

She wobbled a little as the blood rushed out of her head and back into her body, and I held into her until she was steady. Then she glared at me.

“Screw you, Emmett.” she snapped, turning and marching into the house without another word.

“I'm going to marry that girl one day,” I promised Mom as I followed her in.

She just hummed non-committaly and patted me on the back.


	6. Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella + Charlie, Medieval Royalty AU

King Charles had always found his castle to be a warm, welcoming sort of place. It was true that the stone walls seemed rather intimidating to a stranger - a trait he often used to his advantage - and it was at times very cold and almost unbearably crafty, but what really mattered to him was the person inside, the woman who had lit up his life and his home until he couldn't feel the cold any more.

And now she was gone.

Charles stood staring at the portrait of his beloved Renee that hung in the entrance hall of the castle keep. It was a portrait of both of them, him sitting in a gilt chair while she stood at his side, the picture of a loyal Queen. But he could only ever look at her, remembering how she'd been anything but subservient. She'd kept him on his toes, never quite sure what she would do next, and he had adored her with everything he had. They were supposed to have it all; their new child was meant to be the beginning of a new era, a new phase of their lives that they would share together.

Now she was gone, and so was the child. A little boy, the long I anticipated heir to his throne, lay cold in his mother's arms, both of them buried together in the crypt below the church. Sometimes Charles wondered how he was going to go on without her; perhaps he ought to just join her now, save himself the pain of who knew how many years without her.

"Daddy?"

The little voice made him turn, and he spotted Isabella peering shyly out from behind a pillar. He smiled at her and knelt down, opening his arms. She ran to him, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and hugging herself to him.

"It's alright, Daddy," she murmured, somehow knowing exactly what he was thinking. "We'll see Mummy and Baby Charlie again someday. We just have to be patient."

Charles held his daughter tight. This, he reminded himself, was why he was still here. This little girl needed him. She would be Queen one day, he would make sure of it, and she wouldn't be able to do it on her own. He would see Renee again, just like Bella said, and until then, he would cherish this one remaining piece of her. That was the best way, he knew, to honour his wife's memory.


	7. Mist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alice/Jasper, High School AU

Jasper walked purposefully along the hidden track near his family's home, breathing in the crisp air of the early morning, revelling in the perfectly calm of the forest. All he heard was his breath and the crunch of his Converses on the ground, but every now and then he made out the scuttling sound of a small creature in the brush. The light was dim, that particular kind of hazy that only happens just before daybreak. To some it might be considered gloomy, even frightening; to Jasper, it was heaven.

He had always been a quiet sort of boy, disliking the noise and bustle of his peers. His parents fretted constantly over his almost non-existent social life – he only left the house for school and to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friend Edward. He simply didn't see the need to chatter constantly, and he disliked people who did.

Except for Alice.

As so often happened on his morning walks, Jasper found his mind wandering to Edward's sprightly little sister. She was only a year younger than them, and on paper she was everything Jasper hated. She was loud and enthusiastic all the time and she never sat completely still, always tapping her toe or bouncing her knee or fiddling with her short black hair. And yet, for no reason that he could understand or explain, Jasper was drawn to the girl like a planet orbiting its sun. He'd been trying to subtly watch her for months now, which only served to make him feel like a stalker. He'd accepted that he had feelings for her, and that the chances she would reciprocate those feelings were slim to none. Still, it would be nice for her to know he existed, as something more than just her nerdy brother's equally nerdy best friend.

But every time he even thought about trying to get closer to her, his throat tightened and he had to quickly distract himself so that he didn't have a panic attack.

Suddenly, Jasper became aware of more steps crunching through the leaves, steps that were not his own. They were minutely lighter, and moving much faster. He stiffened and stopped, unsure how to react. When he realised the noise came from behind him, he turned...

And almost fell over when he saw Alice Cullen jogging towards him.

His mouth went dry as she came to a stop in front of him. She was grinning in that way she always did, like she had a secret and couldn't decide whether to tell you or not. He was still so shocked at seeing her there, he didn't resist when she grabbed the back of his neck and dragged him down for a hard, heated kiss. By the time he even realised what was happening, he was kissing back, not worrying about what he was doing or what it meant; he existed only in the moment, in the feelings coursing through him.

In that moment, he found a new heaven.


	8. Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Bartender AU

Once again, I've been abandoned.

It's hard to the only single girl in a group. Either you're left alone while your friends all dance with their significant others, or they're desperately trying to find a guy for you even if you don't particularly want one. And you can't say you don't want to go out because they call you a stick in the mud or boring, or they say it won't be the same without you, even though you can't remember the last time they paid you any attention at all while you were out.

So here I sit, guarding the drinks and our spot at the bar, while Alice and Rosalie grind up against their respective boyfriends and draw the stares of every other male in the room.

I fidget with the hem of my dress, trying to pull the unforgiving lacy material further down my thighs. I don't dress up like this on a regular basis, and part of me is glad not to have to try dancing in these heels; more than two inches and I'm bound to make a fool of myself.

"You here all on your own, pretty girl?" a deep voice asks from behind me.

I turn, expecting to see some drunk frat boy leering at me through his beer goggles, and instead find possibly _the_ most attractive man I've ever seen giving me a very sexy smile from behind the bar.

I smile back, trying to look at least passably attractive - I don't dare hope for sexy.

"Actually, I’m here with some friends, but they've left me."

He makes a show of looking shocked. "What? Abandon a pretty girl like you? I don't believe it."

I point my group out to him. "There they are. But I should probably warn you, the big one is my brother, and he's very protective."

"I'll make sure I don't get on his bad side then," he says with a grin. "I'm Edward, by the way."

He sticks his hand out across the bar, and I give him mine, blushing a little when he kisses it instead of shaking.

"I'm Bella." I reply. "Nice to meet you."

He grins, then begins mixing a drink, the silver metal mixer flipping artfully through the air as his skilful hands toss it back and forth without a care. Finally, he pours the colourful liquid into a Martini glass and slides it across the bar to me.

"For the beautiful Bella," he announces grandly, then winks. "On the house."

I thank him, sipping the drink tentatively. He's called away by someone then, but I watch him for the rest of the night, and whenever he can he comes back to me. I stay long after my friends have left, unwilling to leave him.

When I wake up next morning, I’m in his bed, his naked body firm and delicious under mine, with a wonderful ache between my thighs and equally wonderful memories.

_Well, that escalated quickly._


	9. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-specific pairing, Friends to Lovers AU

I had always loved holding his hand. From the time when we were just silly little kids at the playground, running from swing to slide to monkey bars without a care in the world. We held hands whenever we could, whenever we needed it. When it wasn't cool for boys and girls to be friends any more, we would meet in his tree house and just sit holding hands in secret. Our parents used to watch us with a mixture of concern and hope in their eyes, as if they would love nothing more than for our hand holding to mean something more, but at the same time worried that we were becoming too dependent on each other. As we got older, we were both given talks about how dangerous it could be for us to spend all our time together and never see any of our other friends. We both argued that we did nothing of the sort, and when we met up that evening we talked about how silly they were, and laughed at their fears, and held hands that much tighter just to show them.

We were always there for each other. When we each went through our first break ups, when the bullies got particularly vicious, when my parents started fighting and when they finally told me they were getting divorced. When one of us had been sick and we hadn't seen each other for days, when he found out his mom had breast cancer, and the day she finally went into remission. Every high and low was marked by a trip to the tree house and hand holding. We didn't need to speak, we didn't need to hug, we didn't need anything else but to sit close and intertwine our fingers and squeeze as if we were never letting go.

I don't know when I fell in love with him. It happened slowly, over all those years of sitting in silence. All of a sudden, holding his hand felt like holding a precious diamond, or some delicate glass figure that would break if I dropped it. I thought there was no way he could feel the same way for me – we were just friends, he'd never looked at me differently, his girlfriends were never anything like me – and for the time being, I was content.

When we were 18, we were in the tree house again, just sitting there, and suddenly he turned and kissed me on the cheek. When I turned to ask him what he was doing, he kissed me again... on the lips. From that day on, hand holding was never enough. We discovered all kinds of new ways to touch, to kiss, to hold. We learned to talk too, and both admitted the feelings we had held in for far too long. So much changed, but one thing stayed the same.

We still hold hands all the time.


	10. Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esme/Carlisle, Medieval AU

Esme shivered miserably as she stumbled through the woods, clutching the bucket like a life preserver. It was almost half her size, and she knew she was going to struggle to get it back full of water. Which was exactly why her stepmother had sent her out of course; sending her off at night was merely an extra cruelty. If her father knew what his second wife was doing to his beloved daughter, she was sure he wouldn't hesitate to banish the witchy woman from his life forever. But he was so often away from home, and she was an excellent actress. Esme suffered in silence for fear of being beaten or worse, and her most terrifying nightmare involved her father being killed and leaving her to her stepmother's care; she knew she would not survive such as upbringing.

An owl hooted somewhere nearby, and Esme shook harder, remembering all the stories her grandmother used to tell of the woodland spirits who preyed on people lost in the woods at night.

Suddenly, a man came walking out of the trees ahead of her. He seemed to almost radiate light and hope, and instead of being scared Esme felt inexplicably drawn to him.

"Hello there," he said, his voice and smile kind and warm. "Whatever is a little girl like you doing in the woods alone at this time of night?"

"F-fetching water, sir." Esme replied, realising only then that her teeth were chattering.

The beautiful man frowned, blonde eyebrows arching down over strange golden eyes. "Well, we can't have that. You must go home at once."

Esme shook her head. "Stepmother will beat me if I come back without it, sir. She'll tell Father I haven't been helping her and he'll be angry."

Her distress clearly touched the man; he smiled at her, sadly this time, and held out one hand. "Alright little one, never fear. We shall walk together to the well, and I shall help you back home."

He held out his hand, and Esme took it without even stopping to think.

As they walked, he told her his name was Carlisle, and she told him all her sorry story. She felt he could keep her secret, that he would never tell another living soul and she didn't even have to ask him not to.

True to his word, he walked her to the well, drew the water for her, and led her back home, carrying the bucket for her so that she didn't struggle. She left him at the edge of the trees, and he stayed until her stepmother had hustled her back inside, asking tersely what had taken so long.

That night as Esme slept, she had the feeling of someone watching over her, and she knew she would not be so lonely again.


	11. Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Roadtrip AU

I've always loved road trips. My favourite ones are the adventurous ones, where there's no fixed destination and you just randomly pick which direction to go at every turn. There was something strangely thrilling about not knowing where you were going to end up, or what you were going to see, or even if you were going to find a hotel for the night. Not that that mattered; Edward's beaten up old car had a very large, very comfortable back seat.

I'd lost count of how many adventure trips we'd been on over the years. We'd started when we were just about to be juniors, driving to my mom's house in Florida without a map, and kept going every summer until we graduated college. This was – potentially – our last trip. We both had jobs waiting for us back in Seattle, an apartment with rent due in two weeks’ time, and parents insisting we at least try to grow up a little now that we had degrees to our names. Life was happening, and we needed to escape one last time before it took over completely.

So there we were, cruising down an almost deserted highway, no idea where we were beyond Somewhere In Michigan, absolutely loving life. I was hanging out of the back window, making faces while Edward laughed at me and yelled at me to get back in. My response was always a whoop and a new face.

Eventually it got dark, and we pulled over to set up car camp. We got the blankets and pillows out of the trunk, replacing them with our cases just in case someone happened to come past and try to steal them. Dinner was cold McDonald’s from the last town we'd passed through, and we had to wear our sweaters and double up on socks because leaving the heat on would kill the battery, but it was perfect.

In Edward's arms, I felt like the whole world was right. There were no troubles, no wars; nothing bad could sneak its way into our contented little bubble. It was a feeling I loved, and I never wanted to let go.


	12. Staircase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Single Mom/Hot Neighbour AU

I have officially decided that stairs are the work of the devil.

Perhaps it's my own fault for living on the tenth floor of a building with a less-than-reliable elevator. Perhaps fate just hates me today. Whichever it may be, it doesn't change the fact that I'm now stuck at the bottom of a stairwell with my fussy five-month old daughter and absolutely no chance of making up the stairs with baby, diaper bag, stroller and sanity all intact.

This isn't the first time since Ellie was born that the elevator's broken down, but every other time, I’ve had someone there to help me. But Riley and I broke up two months ago, and today I'm all on my own.

“What are we gonna do, Jelly Bean?” I ask her. She just stares at me, then her face scrunches up and I know she's going to start bawling any second.

Just when I think things couldn't get worse, the stairwell door opens behind me and someone practically runs into my back.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!”

It's Edward, my downstairs neighbour. Young, gorgeous, and miraculously single, this guy frequently stars in my dreams. Today he's dressed for the gym, his dark auburn hair still wet from showering and a weary but satisfied look about him.

I smile weakly – I think it's more of a grimace. “It's fine, totally my fault, I know I’m blocking the stairs.”

“Having some trouble?” He smiles knowingly and bends down to tickle Ellie under her chin. “Is Mommy in a pickle, princess?”

To my surprise, she calms down instantly. Her tiny mouth forms a little 'o' and her blue eyes open wide.

I gawk at him. “How did you do that?”

He shrugs. “My sister has a two-year-old. Can I give you a hand up the stairs?”

I blush and stutter that he doesn't have to, but he insists. Between us we manage to manoeuvre the stroller up ten flights; the whole time he's talking to Ellie, making silly faces. By the time we reach my front door she's actually laughing.

“You need to come round more often,” I tell him. “You'd be a godsend when she's teething.”

He laughs. “Well, to be honest, I’d actually really like to hang out more, maybe go out for coffee if you have the time.”

I can only stare at him. I probably look like a complete idiot, but I’m too surprised to care.

I’m silent too long; he starts backtracking. “But if you don't feel like it that's fine too. I guess you're pretty busy with the baby, forget I even asked-”

“Edward.” I cut off his rambling. “I'd really like to hang out too. In fact, if you don't have anywhere else to be, I was thinking you could come in and we could have that coffee now.”

His smile could light up the Empire State Building.

Perhaps stairs aren't so bad after all.


	13. Sweater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, High School AU

I sat in my over-sized blue sweater, staring blankly at the unassuming white envelope sitting in front of me on my bed. Inside that envelope was the news that would shape the rest of my future. Whatever the letter said would decide whether I followed the love of my life to Dartmouth or stayed stuck in miserable, rainy Washington. I'd been staring at it for a good half hour, unable to bring myself to open it, too afraid of this tiny little thing that was going to change my whole life completely.

Eventually, I realised I was never going to be able to do this on my own. I grabbed my phone and fired off a quick text.

_ Hey baby, can you come over? I need you Bxx _

I waited tensely for his reply, which came only seconds later.

_ Sure thing beautiful. What's up? Exx _

_ My Dartmouth letter came Bxx _

Edward didn't reply, but apparently it was all he needed to hear; five minutes later he was letting himself into my house and clomping up the stairs to my room. He smiled at me just like he always did, and sat on the floor by the bed, reaching out to run a hand over the envelope.

"You know that no matter what this says, it doesn't change anything, right? I still love you, and I'm not going anywhere that won't let you in too."

I wanted to argue, but we'd squabbled enough over this, so I just nodded. Then I nudged it towards him.

"Can you do it? I can't."

"Sure thing, babe," he said with a smile, and carefully tore the envelope open and took out the single sheet of paper. I bit my lip, waiting for the bomb to drop.

He grinned at me, and I knew without words what the letter said. Before he could confirm it, I launched myself off the bed and until his arms, and he laughed as we both collapsed in a tangled pile of limbs on my bedroom floor.

"I'm in?" I asked excitedly, pulling back so that I could see his face.

He smiled widely. "You're in, baby. Congratulations."

I kissed him, not knowing what else to do to show him how happy I was.

The next few days passed in a flurry of telling people and celebrating. Edward and I spent hours talking about what we were going to do in New Hampshire, what clubs we'd join, what classes we'd take, what we planned to major in. He was torn between Pre-Med and Music, wanting to follow in his father's footsteps but also wanting to do something he loved. I told him to follow his heart, and reminded him that he still had a little more time to decide.

The future was still a big scary place, but now I felt that it might not be quite as bad as I'd imagined.


	14. Records

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Record Store AU

Music stores have always been my safe haven, and from an early age I was fascinated by the vinyl section. Growing up in the height of the digital age, such a bulky, antiquated method of storing music should probably have seemed alien and strange to me. My mom thinks I’m a child out of time, born in the wrong era, and that I should have lived in a time when drug stores had soda fountains and waitresses on roller skates would serve you in your car at fast food restaurants and a hot date involved the back seat of a car and a drive-in movie. Not that I was that kind of guy, but whatever.

Now, trying to settle into my new college dorm room, it wasn't surprising to anyone who knew me that I found my way to the nearest record shop before I even went looking for the bars. Even in an unfamiliar city, in an entirely new state, I felt I could count on my records to be just the same in Seattle as they were back home in Chicago.

After my third day of classes, I made my way to Pacific Rhythms, desperately in need of something to counteract my overwhelmed state of mind. The store was almost empty, and I made my way to the boxes of vinyls assuming I would be able to browse in peace.

I was wrong.

There was a girl standing there, thumbing through the sleeves intently and biting her lip in concentration. Her dark brown hair was all pulled over one shoulder, falling all the way down to the strings on her dark red hoodie, and her dark eyes were intent on the covers flipping past.

I dithered for a minute, not really wanting to socialise – I was a solitary shopper – but I left it too long and she looked up. She seemed as startled as I was to find another young person in this bit of the store, but after a second she smiled.

“Hi,” she said, her voice sweet and shy and utterly enchanting. “Am I in your way?”

Struck dumb, I could only shake my head mutely and try to distract myself with the box of eighties rock opposite where she stood. We stood in silence, and then she spoke again.

“I'm Bella.”

I looked up, and she was holding out her hand. I took it, shaking gently.

“Edward. Nice to meet you.”

Biggest understatement of my life.


	15. Marshmallows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alice/Jasper, Grieving AU

My mother had one simple solution for every problem: hot chocolate. But not just any hot chocolate. Godiva brand, made with milk, not hot water, stirred thoroughly and heated in the microwave for no more or less than two minutes and twenty-five seconds.

Above all, it had to be topped with four white marshmallows shaped like Christmas trees. They were only available in December, made by an obscure brand that even wasn't stocked in Costco, and Mom would bulk buy them online so that we had enough to last through every tragedy that might befall us in the next year.

We had hot chocolate every night for a week after my Nana died, and every night Daddy kissed her on the cheek as he took his mug.

We had it when my little sister Cynthia was born two months early, and no one knew if she was going to make it or not. It was the first time Mom had indulged herself since she got pregnant, and although her smile was small, it was there.

When I broke up with my first boyfriend, she brought me hot chocolate at three on the morning because she heard me crying.

It was the first thing she made when we got home from the doctor's office on what we called The Black Day. That was the day my blood test came back. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It was the most common type in children, aggressive but easily treatable, with an 85% survival rate. At 16 I was the oldest kid my doctor was treating, but the outlook was good. Still, there was a lot of hot chocolate during the two years of my treatment – when my hair started to fall out, or one of the little kids on my ward disappeared in the night and I’d knew they'd lost the battle against their own bodies. My mom used to sneak it in to me in a Thermos, with the marshmallows in a zip-lock bag in her purse so they wouldn't melt into the chocolate before she arrived. I was one of the lucky ones who made it into remission and never went back. But I never grew my hair long again.

My mom was my rock, my strength, my biggest cheerleader. Sitting at the kitchen table with her, sipping hot chocolate from her flowery mugs, all my problems seemed insignificant.

I stared down at the mug on the table in front of me, creamy brown, topped with four Christmas tree marshmallows. It had gone cold, and the marshmallows were partly melted, but I hadn't touched it. Jasper slid into the seat beside me and put his arm around my shoulder. I looked up at him, and just the sight of him had me tearing up for the millionth time today. He saw it coming and pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I miss her, Jas.”

“I know, baby. I know.”


	16. Map

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Human AU

She's staring at it again.

She can stand for hours, just looking at that map.

Memorising all the countries, all their capital cities.

Tracing her finger along the green lines she's drawn all over it.

Imagining following the lines in real life, visiting all the places she's only read about.

She wants to get out of here, get away, and I desperately want to give her that. But we just don't have the money right now.

That's something you hear a lot in our house these days.

When we got married, we were fresh out of college. We'd dated since high school, and would have tied the knot sooner if we hadn't known our parents would disown us both. We thought we were going to be different; we weren't going to get stuck like so many people in Forks, too settled to leave, without the drive to go anywhere further afield than Seattle. And yet, three years later, we're still here, still waiting to have the funds and the time and the opportunity to travel.

We love our home – we have no problem living here for now – and we've built a great life for ourselves, but I know Bella wants more. Honestly, I’d go anywhere she asked me to; she's my life, and I make sure she knows it.

We _will_ go someday. I’m determined. We're both stubborn as mules, and once we want something we usually get it. One of the first things we learned as husband and wife was how to compromise with each other. On this though, we're in perfect agreement. But until we can afford it...

I cross the room so I’m standing behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and laying my head on her shoulder. She's jumps a little – she obviously didn't hear me come in – then relaxes and lays her hands on my arms.

“Where are we off to today?” I murmur in her ear.

She debates for a moment; out of the corner of my eye I see her purse her lips and frown in concentration.

“Mozambique.” she decides. “We haven't been to Africa in a while.”

I grin. “No we haven't. Let's go.”

And so, we dream. We play pretend. We make tents out of the sheets like we're little kids, and have the most exotic dinner we can extract from the limited contents of our fridge. We laugh and talk and imagine all that we'll see.

And for now, it's enough.


	17. Skates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Roller Rink AU

“Remind me why I’m doing this?” I asked my best friend Alice as we walked into the roller rink on Saturday night.

“Because you have the hots for Edward Cullen, and if I don't make you do something about it you never will because you have ridiculously low self-esteem.”

“Wow, don't sugarcoat it, Alice.”

She just rolled her eyes and kept dragging me towards the skate rental counter. Just watching all the people speeding round and round on the rink ahead of us made my stomach turn; this was going to be a disaster.

Then I spotted Edward sorting through a pile of loose skates on the counter, and it was like nothing else existed. Honestly, my level of infatuation with him was probably borderline creepy, but somehow I couldn't help it; something about him just made me go weak at the knees.

“Hi Edward!” Alice almost yelled, grinning at him. I’d been so lost in my Edward haze that I hadn't even realised we'd actually reached him.

“Hi Alice,” he replied, smiling politely. Then he turned to me. “Hey Bella.”

“Hey.” I whispered, shrinking a little and reflexively biting my lip as blood rushed to my cheeks at his stare.

“Oh, for goodness sake,” Alice muttered, then spoke louder. “I'll have a size four, Bella wants a five and your number.”

Then she turned around and walked off without a word. Edward watched her go with a bemused look.

“Is she always like that?” he asked me, smiling again as soon as our eyes met.

I blushed, looked down and shrugged one shoulder. His hand reached out unexpectedly and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him again. He lent on the counter and smiled like I was actually important to him.

“So, you want my number?” he asked, a hint of teasing in his tone.

I shook my head. “Don't listen to Alice, she's being ridiculous. I shouldn't even be here, I can't skate at all...”

I trailed off as he chuckled. He tipped his head to the side and watched my face closely.

“So you don't like me?” he asked, his eyes wide and the hint of a pout on his full lips.

“Well, um... I mean...” I stuttered, completely disorientated by him.

He grinned, grabbed a scrap of paper from the desk and scribbled his number onto it, then pressed it into my hand.

“I'll go one better than that. Be ready to go out Friday night. Nothing too fancy. I’ll pick you up at seven.”


	18. Leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esme, Human AU

Destroying a leaf pile was an experience every child should have at least once in their lives. At least, Esme Cullen thought so. She had never felt any particular need to have her husband rake all the leaves in the yard into one huge stack, preferring the wild, natural way that they littered the lawn. But once their sons got big enough to enjoy running around in the garden, it was decided to make a yearly tradition out of raking the leaves together just so that Emmett, Jasper and Edward could spend an afternoon spreading them back across the grass.

For weeks, the boys would watch the leaves falling with all the excitement and anticipation that other children reserved for falling snow. Then would come the magical day when Carlisle went out with the rake, and all three would perch themselves on the window seat in the living room to watch as he formed the pile, each one silently plotting how best to cover his brothers in orange, red and brown foliage. Their mother would insist on coats, hats and scarves, and once these were grudgingly donned they were released upon the mountain of leaves, racing like wild animals across the lawn and hollering battle cries like Indian braves. There would follow several hours of leafy carnage, before they stumbled back inside to wash up for dinner, flushed, tired and often a little muddy, but beaming from ear to ear.

They were no longer little boys, but the tradition remained the same – almost. Now, the boys helped their father collect up the leaves, the forming of the pile becoming half the fun. They refused to wrap up warm, content to be out in hoodies and jeans, but Esme no longer feared their catching cold and did not argue. And when they let loose all their pent up energy in throwing and running and shouting, they were joined by others. Rosalie, Alice and Bella weren't too old to play in the leaves either, and it made Esme smile to watch them all enjoy themselves.

This time next year, Emmett would be heading off to college, leaving his brothers and girlfriend behind. They might never get to play in the leaves all together ever again. Only Esme seemed to be thinking about that. But that was okay.

Let them have fun now; they could worry about the future later.


	19. Graveyard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Vampire AU

Anyone walking through a graveyard after dark on a misty night had to be one of three things: stupid, crazy or suicidal. Occasionally, someone came along who fit into two categories. Finding someone who fit all three was even rarer still. ****

Edward was having trouble pinning down this latest wanderer.

To the young girl's eyes, the graveyard would be very dim, full of hidden shadows whose black depths she could only guess at the contents of. As she stumbled amongst the grey stones, clouds scudded across the black sky, blown by a swift wind that left the swirling fog at ground level curiously untouched and caused the bright full moon to disappear every few moments behind a new bank of gloom.

To Edward, as he watched her progress and followed silently from the cover of the trees, everything was as clear and sharp as day. He could tell that the girl had dark brown hair hanging in waves past her shoulders, wide brown eyes that darted around her in terror at every little sound, skin almost as pale white as his own, and a petite figure swallowed up by a baggy hoodie and shapeless jeans. She was pretty, he supposed, for a human just barely touching womanhood and gripped with fear. Certainly no Rosalie, but then, who was?

Bella Swan had no idea she was being watched. All she was aware of was the cold nipping at her fingertips, the breath becoming progressively harder to push in and out of her lungs, the fatigue beginning to set into her legs, and above all, the feeling of searching for something. There was no one she knew in this place, and yet something kept her moving, wandering through the fog with only a vague idea of where she was going, hoping whatever force was directing her would also be kind enough to show her the way out.

Her legs were aching so much by this point that she couldn't keep moving forward. She paused, now deep in the heart of the graveyard, and leaned against a tall slender cross with the name worn away by time. All the graves around her were in a bad way, leaning in odd directions, choked in moss and lichen, or crumbling under the effects of near constant harsh weather for who knew how many years. Bella tried to catch her breath, wincing as she stretched each of her leg muscles in turn, and glanced fearfully around her, unable to shake the sudden feeling that someone was watching her.

Meanwhile, Edward seemed to have lost control of his body. At least, that was what it felt like. When the girl had gone further into the fog, he hadn't even stopped to think before leaving the cover of the trees and melting into the darkness of the cemetery. Now he approached her, closer and closer, until at last she turned her head and her eyes widened as she spotted him.

“What are you?”

Without thinking, he answered.

“Yours.”


	20. Fort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella + Renesmee, Post Breaking Dawn

“ATCHOO!”

Nessie sniffled pitifully, and I stroked her forehead sympathetically. When you're a parent, there is almost nothing so heart-wrenching as having a sick child. Being a vampire doesn't make that any better; if anything, it's worse because you aren't used to feeling so helpless.

“I feel yucky, Momma,” she whimpered.

“I know, baby. Why don't you try and get some sleep? You might feel better.”

Nessie shook her head. “Can't sleep. Too yucky.”

She held her arms out, her eyes sparkling with tears, and I pulled her into a hug, cuddling her against my chest and rocking her back and forth, making soothing sounds in the hope that it would calm her. I began searching through my limited human memories, trying to recall what Renee had done when I’d been sick as a little kid. Then I remembered the one time I’d caught a cold while staying with Charlie and his solution to my resulting bad mood, and knew I had the perfect answer.

“How about we do something fun?” I asked Nessie.

She lifted her head from where it was tucked into my neck. “Like what?”

“Wait here,” I said with a secretive little smile. I tucked her back into her bed and went to the bookshelf, taking out a few of her favourite books as she watched me curiously. I left the room and found the electric lantern we kept near the door for emergencies, took everything into the master bedroom and quickly set up my surprise. Then I went back for Nessie.

She was confused at first when I scooped her out of bed, blanket and all, and her confusion only increased when she saw the seemingly random pile of stuff on the big bed.

_ What are we doing Momma?  _ she asked through her thoughts.

“Something fun, I promise.”

I set her down on the bed, turned off the main light and sat across from her, then pulled the thin sheet over our heads before switching the lamp on. Ness watched me curiously, pushing the sheet up when it fell in her way.

“Welcome to our own little fort.” I said, smiling. “Your grandpa did this with me when I was sick, and I had so much fun I forgot I was feeling yucky. Now, which book shall we start with?”

Nessie was dubious at first, but eventually the novelty of being in a new environment and the distraction of trying to keep the sheet up had her giggling instead of whimpering. When Edward got home from his hunt and joined us, a bemused look on his face, she was back to her usual smiley, bubbly self.

As silly and childish as it was, what might otherwise have been a miserable day became a wonderful memory, and even the rain pouring down the window couldn't spoil our collective good mood.


	21. Pool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Honeymoon AU

The blue water shimmered in the sunlight streaming down on me where I stood on the wooden deck that surrounded the pool. It was perfectly calm and perfectly peaceful, and I reflected again on how glad I was that Edward had chosen to surprise me with a trip to a private Tuscan villa for our honeymoon.  
Across the other side of the pool, my new husband stepped through the French windows that opened off the kitchen, deliciously shirtless and wearing his swimming trunks. He spotted me and grinned, then set down his towel and dived into the water with a small, neat splash. I watched his lithe body slide smoothly through the water towards me, then stepped back to avoid the spray as he broke the surface and flipped his hair back off of his face.  
“Care to join me, Mrs Cullen?” he said, and my heart melted a little as he smiled cheekily up at me, his muscled arms folded on the decking at the edge of the pool and water still clinging to his skin.  
Any other day, I would have jumped right in. Today, however, I was in the mood to tease, so I just smiled at him and shook my head, moving backwards towards the sun loungers. “No thanks, I think I'll just lie in the sun for a while.”  
He let me get as far as the lounger before he came after me. He hauled himself out of the water, and I was momentarily distracted by the way the fabric now clung to his muscular form. That distraction was all he needed to cross the width of the deck and completely catch me by surprise as he hooked one arm behind my knees and scooped me up into his arms.  
“Edward!” I squealed, flinging my arms around his neck and clinging to him, even as my legs kicked and I squirmed to get loose.  
He ignored me, crossing back to the pool and stretching out his arms until I was forced to let go, then dumping me unceremoniously into the water. I screamed as I sailed through the air, remembering at the last second to hold my breath and close my eyes as I plunged into the pool. I came up spluttering, trying desperately to flip my hair out of my face as his laugh echoed around me.  
Edward jumped back into the water, cannon-balling this time so I was drenched again by the splash, and caught me around the waist as I tried to get away. I tried to be angry too, but he kissed me on the lips and I couldn't even try to pretend, kissing him back enthusiastically.  
It's hard to be mad at the person who makes you happier than anything else in the world.


	22. Trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella + Carlisle, Victorian AU

The carriage rolled lazily down the long tree lined drive. Just past the sentry-like rows of oaks, Isabella could see the sparse greenery and misty blanket of the Yorkshire moors, which seemed somehow especially barren and unforgiving on that wintry day. Frost clung to the grass, not yet melted by the sun, and the carriage was not as warm as one might hope; even in her warmest clothes, Isabella was shivering.

At last, the tall stone walls of her uncle's home came into view around a bend in the drive, and within a minute of first seeing it they had arrived. The coach driver pulled up as close to the door as he could, and a manservant hurried down the front steps, looking rather comical in his neat black and white uniform with a bright red scarf and navy gloves. He opened her door, letting in a blast of cold air, and helped her down to the ground, before leading her quickly into the warmth of the house while two servants in more casual attire scurried over to take care of her belongings.

The fire blazing in the hallway hearth gave the room a pleasantly homey feeling – entirely different than Isabella had been expecting from her Uncle Carlisle. She remembered him as a young, smiling man, as yet unmarried despite being very handsome and quite rich. That had been some time ago, it was true; her father had quarrelled with his wife's brother over some matter Isabella had been too young to understand, and they had ceased communication for almost 14 years.

Now though, Isabella’s parents were not there to argue with him. They had both been killed in a tragic accident with a handsome cab while coming home from the theatre in London, and Isabella had been left an orphan at rather a critical stage in her life; at 19, she was already past due to be married. She would have liked to try living by herself, but her elderly grandmother – her only other family besides her uncle – had insisted she be with someone who could sufficiently provide for her. There was also the rather critical clause in her father's will which stated she would not receive her inheritance until she married.

So here she was, arriving in a new place to live with a man who was almost a stranger to her, still trying to adjust to the loss of her parents.

Footsteps approached her, and she looked up to see her uncle, looking rather more elderly than she remembered, but smiling in just the same way. Seeing him caused all she had lost to come crashing down on her at once, and without any thought she raced across the hall and embraced him, finally allowing her tears to flow freely as he held her and soothed her as best he could.

“There now,” he murmured. “It's alright, my dear. You're safe here.”

And for the first time in a long while, she felt it was true.


	23. Roof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Vampire AU

She perched on the roof of his house, balanced delicately on the dark tiles with all the grace and elegance of a cat. Below her, separated by only a few thin layers of wood, he slept peacefully, entirely unaware of her existence.

Her family said she was foolish, that her obsession with him made no sense, that nothing good could come from one of their kind loving a human, but she ignored them. She knew how she felt; in all her hundred years, she had never felt this way about anyone, vampire or human. She wanted only to be close to him. He didn't have to reciprocate her feelings, or even know that she was there; as long as he was safe and well and happy, she would watch him from the shadows and be glad to have that much of him.

Being here, however, was no longer enough. She had to see him, be near him, see for herself that he was content in his slumber. Silently, without so much as rustling the leaves in the tree, she slid from the roof into the branches of the tall oak outside his window. She peered through the glass, and smiled when she saw him sprawled across his too-small bed, his arms and legs going in all directions and his feet hanging from the end. How she longed to have those arms around her, strong and hard and comforting. How she wished she could watch those legs pump in time with hers as they ran through the forest together, faster than the eye could see.

But these were only dreams. She continued to watch him, continued to follow his every move, wishing and wanting but never acting, while he dreamed of a dark haired, pale skinned beauty that he had never met, and wondered where he could find her.


	24. Lake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emmett/Rosalie, Summer Romance AU

The lake was cold this time of year. In summer it bustled with life, the water full of laughing children and the small beach packed to bursting point with towels and beach umbrellas and people trying to get enough of a tan to convince their friends that they'd been somewhere exotic.

But Autumn had come, the sun had vanished behind omnipresent clouds, and the place was deserted.

Except for me.

Having parents who ran a boarding house was fun when it was vacation time. There were always new people to talk to, new boys to flirt with, new things to discover. But once the punters went home, all the life went out of the place, and I was left alone. Mom and Dad were busy with preparations for the Holiday rush, and I was left to entertain myself through the surprisingly long hours that weren't spent in school. This year, I felt especially lonely.

I sighed, kicking my feet through the icy water that I’d walked into up to my ankles as my mind drifted once again back to last week, back to _him_ , back to one of the happiest summers I’d ever had. Emmett McCarty had literally fallen into my life, tripping over as he tried to catch a football on the back lawn and crashing into me as I wandered out of the house. I’d been angry, and he'd been contrite, apologising over and over as he helped me up. He was sweet, I conceded, and very cute, with dark curly hair and delectable dimples when he grinned his cheeky grin, and it didn't take me long to abandon my wounded pride and fall for him completely. He made me laugh, looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and yet to him I wasn't just a pretty face. He was interested in _me_ , my opinions, my dreams, everything I had to say. That first day wasn't the last time we butted heads, but our fights never lasted long. I learned that he liked to wrestle with his brother, that his sister annoyed him but he'd still do anything to protect her, that he loved his mother more than he'd ever admit to anyone.

The night before he left, we lay on the beach all night, sometimes kissing, sometimes just lying in silence. I told him I loved him, and he said it back with more tenderness than I felt deserving of. We never said goodbye, because that would make it final. The next morning, his family drove away while I watched from the window and cried.

Out of nowhere, a familiar arm slid around my waist and a low voice whispered, “Hey babe,” into my ear. I spun around, disbelieving, blinking sporadically.

“You came back?” I choked out, and he nodded.

“I love you, Rosie. I can't spend another year of my life away from you. I have to be with you, forever.”

We kissed, and I was home.


	25. Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella/Edward, Human AU

I smiled down at my phone, once again open to the picture he'd sent me yesterday. Cheesy and stupid, but so completely him that I couldn't even think of complaining.

He crouched low to the ground, staring into the distance, wearing his favourite plaid shirt and worn out jeans. His suitcase was off to one side and there was a cardboard sign propped against his feet that said 'Be Home Soon' in bold, black Sharpie. I could imagine him trying to take it, wrestling with his phone's timer function and trying to keep it balanced against something so that he was all in frame.

The message attached was simple; _Seattle Bus Station, 7:00PM, 4/16. I love you._

And so here I was at 6:58, shivering even in my thick coat, waiting impatiently for his bus to pull in so I could finally have him in my arms again. I couldn't wait.

As seven approached, I began craning my neck and tapping my foot impatiently, getting more and more agitated when the scheduled arrival time came and went without a change. Finally, at 7:08, the shiny silver tube of the Greyhound bus turned around the corner and slid to a stop in front of me.

I could see him before the doors even opened, standing waiting to get off, and I knew he'd gotten up before the bus even stopped. The last barrier between us parted with a pneumatic hiss, and in less than five seconds he had bounded down the steps and swept me into his arms.

Tears were running down my cheeks as he set me back on my feet and leaned down to kiss me like he was a starving man tasting food again. His kisses moved across my cheeks, my forehead, my chin and my nose, and I giggled as he came back to my lips.

“I missed you,” he finally murmured, his voice thick with tears of his own. “Never again, baby. Not for all the money in the world.”

“We missed you too.” I whispered shyly.

He frowned at me. “We?” Then his eyes popped open wide. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

I nodded, taking one of his big hands and laying it on my subtly rounded stomach. “Welcome home, Daddy.”


End file.
